Combinatorial light device for general lighting and lighting for machine vision

ABSTRACT

A system with a machine and a lighting device. The machine includes an image capture device and a machine vision processing system configured to detect a characteristic of a subject in a space for an operation of the machine. The lighting device includes a first light source for generating light to illuminate the space, and a second light source for generating light of a particular wavelength to support detection of the characteristic of the subject via the machine vision processing system. The light of the particular wavelength is output at a sufficient intensity reasonably expected to produce a particular emission from the subject detectable via the image capture device different from an emission produced by exposure of the subject to the light for illumination of the space. The first and second light sources are integrated into the lighting device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 14/285,931filed May 23, 2014, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The examples discussed below relate to techniques and equipment toprovide a light source for general illumination of a space and anadditional light source to provide light of a particular wavelength toproduce a particular emission from a subject different from an emissionproduced by exposure of the subject to the light for generalillumination of the space and image capture for machine visionprocessing, e.g. to detect a characteristic of the subject in the space.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, demand has arisen for lighting systems that producelight for purposes other than general illumination. Multiple lightingdevices are used for such alternative purposes. For example, many lightsare designed to produce only a particular wavelength of light, such asultraviolet, infrared, or particular wavelengths of visible light withan increased intensity versus that of general illumination lights. Manybenefits are associated with the particular wavelengths, such asproducing a particular emission from subjects different from emissionsproduced by exposure of the subjects to general illumination light, andsuch emissions can be used for a wide range of machine visionapplications, such as object detection, machine guidance, and the like.

The need to produce these additional wavelengths at sufficientintensities leads to many applications where multiple lighting fixturesare used. Users will often have a device for general illumination, andan additional device for generating the preferred wavelength of lightcan be used for machine vision applications. For example, in a plantthat uses machines with infrared (IR) responsive controls, there will bedevices to illuminate the plant floor-space for factory workers as wellas separate IR lighting for detection by the image capture andassociated machine vision systems of the various machines on the factoryfloor. The requirement to have multiple lighting devices is notconvenient in most many applications. For example, installation ofmultiple lighting fixtures in a single room may not be feasible as theroom may not be designed to incorporate more than one lighting device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord withthe present concepts, by way of example only, not by way of limitations.In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similarelements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system with a lighting device forgeneral illumination as well as illumination with one or more particularwavelengths, a space and a machine with certain elements thereof shownin cross-section.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of electrical components of alighting device for generating general illumination light and forgenerating particular wavelengths that produce emissions different fromemissions produced by exposure to the general illumination.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a lighting device forgenerating particular wavelengths with a dimming mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a lighting device forgenerating particular wavelengths with shutter mechanisms.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a lighting device forgenerating particular wavelengths with a pixelated screen and an LCDshutter array.

FIGS. 6A-6B are illustrations showing a system where particularemissions are produced.

FIGS. 7A-7C are illustrations of systems showing particular emissionsbeing produced and detected by an image capture device.

FIGS. 8A-8C are illustrations of systems showing particular emissionsbeing produced in a space with a grid movement pattern for use inmachine vision guided movement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth by way of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe relevant teachings. However, it should be apparent to those skilledin the art that the present teachings may be practiced without suchdetails. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components,and/or circuitry have been described at a relatively high-level, withoutdetail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the presentteachings.

Reference now is made in detail to the examples illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and discussed below. FIG. 1 illustrates a system 1including a cross-sectional illustration of a lighting device 10 thatemits light in a space 26, and a functional block diagram representing amachine 30 that controls one or more operations thereof via machinevision. Elements shown in the drawing are sized and positioned for easeof illustration and are not drawn to scale or shown separated in aprecise manner as might be used in an actual device. Although thedrawing shows one lighting device 10 and one machine 30, a system 1 likethat shown may have any number of lighting devices 10 for the space 26and/or may have any number of machines 30 using machine vision controlwithin the space 26 illuminated by or receiving emissions from thelighting device(s) 10 of the system 1. There may also be other lightingdevices and/or machines in the vicinity, some of which may or may not beinvolved in machine vision in the manner described below relative todevice 10 and machine 30.

The device 10 is intended for general lighting applications in areas orregions intended to be occupied by one or more persons, subjects, and/ormachines that will see by or be exposed to the general illuminationlight provided by the system 1, and for outputting light of a particularwavelength at a sufficient intensity and for a sufficient durationreasonably expected to produce a particular emission from a subject 28different from an emission produced by exposure of the subject 28 to thelight for illumination. As used herein, “emission from the subject”encompasses reflection of light from the subject in the visible spectrumregion and other regions of the light spectrum, opto-luminescence suchas fluorescence or phosphorescence in various spectral regions, filteredtransmission of visible or other light, and other types of lightgeneration in response to illumination of the subject. The emission fromthe subject, however, will be different when exposed to PW lightoutputted from the lighting device from that when exposed to GI light.When exposed to PW light, the particular emission from the subjectshould be sufficient so as to support use of the emission in response tothe PW light for a machine vision application.

The lighting devices may include lighting fixtures, such as ceilingfixtures, table lamps, desk lamps, etc. It will be understood that thedisclosed lighting devices can be implemented in various types oflighting fixtures, lighting systems, and other lighting apparatus. Theparticular emission from the subject 28 may be of a wavelength in thevisible spectrum and/or outside the visible spectrum. For example, fortask lighting applications, the lighting device 10 outputs light in thevisible spectrum for general illumination, which often will appearrelatively white to occupants of the space 26; but lighting device 10may also output light of the particular wavelength(s) for producing theparticular emission from a subject 28 and for supporting detection of acharacteristic of the subject 28 by the machine 30 for its machinevision based control functions. The lighting device output of thewavelength(s) in support of machine vision may be generatedsimultaneously to and/or independently from the general illuminationemission.

There may be some difference of opinion among technical practitioners asto the light characteristics needed to produce a particular emissionfrom a subject, e.g. the wavelength, duration and intensity of exposureof the subject to particular wavelength band light needed to produce aparticular emission for sensing by machines for machine visionapplications. The technologies under discussion here are intended todeliver light for a general illumination purpose and light ofwavelength(s) for producing a particular emission from a subject with adevice integrating sources for both purposes and typically through thesame output path of the lighting device. Although the lightcharacteristics are intended to produce the particular emission, thepresent disclosure is not limited either to any particular standard ormagnitude of lighting parameters that different authorities may feel arerequired to fully produce a particular emission from a subject differentfrom an emission produced by exposure of a subject to generalillumination light. Additionally, a given machine will likely havespecifications for minimal lighting requirements that the machinemanufacturer warrants will suffice for use of the machine vision controlsystem. Different machines, manufacturers and/or applications will havedifferent requirements to be met by the lighting devices and/or othercomponents of the disclosed systems such that various parameter valuesmay be necessary for the components, and differing or less than optimalresults may occur. Machine vision may work at somewhat lower parametervalues, but may not be optimal if so operated.

Furthermore, it will be understood the particular emission from asubject may not be fully produced and the characteristics of the subjectmay not be adequately detected due to circumstances unrelated to theoperation of the systems, lighting devices, or machines. For instance,producing the particular emission and detecting the characteristic mayrequire a subject to be exposed to the particular wavelength for a giventime such that the emission may not be produced if, for example, thesubject is prematurely removed from exposure, the machine is not withinviewing range of the subject, additional light sources alter theparticular emission, the machine is improperly calibrated to theparticular emission, etc. As another example, studies and manufacturersmay suggest various parameter settings for the lighting devices and/ormachines (e.g. wavelength, intensity, and/or duration of the particularwavelength, tuning of the image capture device, etc.) which may beincompatible with machine or lighting device specifications, andfollowing such suggestions may lead to improper emission productionand/or characteristic detection.

The lighting devices of the systems disclosed herein are capable ofoutputting particular wavelengths at a sufficient intensity, sufficientduration, and/or otherwise proper characteristic to at least partiallyproduce a particular emission from the subject absent unrelatedinterfering circumstances, and are thus reasonably expected to producethe particular emission from the subject intended to facilitate machinevision related detection. Furthermore, the machines of the systemsdisclosed herein are capable of machine vision operation by detecting acharacteristic of a subject from the produced particular emissions, andthus, the light of the particular wavelength(s) supports the detectionof the characteristics of the subject via machine vision processingsystems of the machines disclosed herein. For many particular wavelengthoutput(s), the outputs of the appropriate wavelength(s) will exhibit asufficient intensity to produce the particular emission and will exhibitone or more other characteristics of sufficient values to produce theparticular emission, such as a sufficient one or more of: duration,intensity variation rate (e.g. flash rate).

In examples of system 1 of FIG. 10, a lighting device 10 includes anoptical element coupled to receive light from the sources and configuredto provide an output of light for the device, where light from bothsources emerge via the same device output. The two types of light fromthe light sources may be output from the output at different times, orin other examples, the two types of light emerge via the same outputmore or less simultaneously. The optical element serves to direct lightfrom multiple light sources integrated within the respective lightingdevice to the light output of the device. If output simultaneously, theoptical element combines the multiple types of light for output via theoptical output of the lighting device.

Hence, the system 1 using lighting device 10 combines light frommultiple sources, and for that purpose, most examples of lightingdevices include an optical light mixer, such as a diffuser. In theexample of FIG. 1, the illustrated system 10 includes an optical cavity11 having a diffusely reflective interior surface to receive and combineradiant energy of different colors/wavelengths. The cavity 11 may havevarious shapes. The illustrated cross-section would be substantially thesame if the cavity is hemispherical or if the cavity is semi-cylindricalwith the cross-section taken perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Theoptical cavity in the examples discussed below is typically an opticalintegrating cavity.

The disclosed lighting devices that have a cavity as the optical mixermay use a variety of different structures or arrangements for theoptical integrating cavity. At least a substantial portion of theinterior surface(s) of the cavity exhibit(s) diffuse reflectivity. It isdesirable that the cavity surface have a highly efficient reflectivecharacteristic, e.g. a reflectivity equal to or greater than 90%, withrespect to the relevant wavelengths. In the example of FIG. 1, thesurface is highly diffusely reflective to energy in the visible,near-infrared, and ultraviolet wavelengths.

The cavity 11 may be formed of a diffusely reflective plastic material,such as a polypropylene having a 97% reflectivity and a diffusereflective characteristic. For purposes of the discussion, the cavity 11in the device 10 is assumed to be hemispherical. In the example, ahemispherical dome 13 and a substantially flat cover plate 15 form theoptical cavity 11. At least the interior facing surfaces of the dome 13and the cover plate 15 are highly diffusely reflective, so that theresulting cavity 11 is highly diffusely reflective with respect to theradiant energy spectrum produced by the device 10. As a result, thecavity 11 in the example of FIG. 1 is an integrating type opticalcavity. Although shown as separate elements, the dome and plate may beformed as an integral unit.

The optical integrating cavity 11 has an optical aperture 20 forallowing output of combined light energy (e.g., the combined generalillumination light and the particular wavelength light). In the example,the aperture 20 is a passage through the approximate center of the coverplate 15, although the aperture may be at any other convenient locationon the plate 15 or the dome 13. The aperture is transmissive to light.Although shown as a physical passage or opening through the wall orplate of the cavity, those skilled in the art will appreciate that theoptical aperture may take the form of a light transmissive material,e.g. transparent or translucent, at the appropriate location on thestructure forming the cavity 11.

Because of the diffuse reflectivity within the cavity 11, light withinthe cavity is integrated before passage out of the optical aperture 20.In the examples, the device 10 is shown outputting the combined lightdownward through the aperture 20, for convenience. However, the device10 may be oriented in any desired direction to perform a desiredapplication function, for example, to provide general illumination andother particular lighting to persons in a particular direction orlocation with respect to the lighting device 10 or to illuminate orprovide particular wavelength(s) to a different surface such as a wall,floor, desk, bed or table top.

Also, the optical integrating cavity 11 may have more than one aperture20, for example, oriented to allow output of integrated light in two ormore different directions or regions. The device 10 and/or theaperture(s) 20 may additionally be oriented or positioned such that thelight of the particular wavelength for the particular emission is outputin a particular direction or location with respect to the lightingdevice or output to target a different surface such as a wall, floor,table, or other subject in the space, such as a hospital bed, a bodypart of a human, obstructions in the space, etc.

In the example, the cavity 11 appears empty, e.g. as if filled with air.It is also contemplated that a wide range of other cavity structures maybe used, including structure in which the cavity is partially filledwith an optically transmissive liquid or solid. In that regard, just afew of many examples of other lighting device arrangements withalternative cavity structures may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,282,241;8,172,424; 8,205,998 and 8,021,008, the full patent disclosures of whichare incorporated entirely herein by reference.

Light sources 17 to 19 supply light into the interior of the opticalintegrating cavity 11 and are both integrated into the device 10. Lightsource 17 generates light for general illumination (GI) of a space andlight source 19 generates light of a particular wavelength (PW) for aparticular emission from a subject different from an emission producedby exposure of the subject to GI light. The cavity 11 effectivelyintegrates the energy of the GI light and the PW light so that theintegrated or combined light energy output through the aperture 20includes the radiant energy of the GI light and the PW light in relativeamounts substantially corresponding to the relative intensities of inputinto the cavity 11.

For simplicity, the example shows a single source of each type.Depending on the technology and/or the variety of particular wavelengthsoffered by the device 10, there may be any number of each type of lightsource. The general illumination source 17 may be implemented using oneor more emitters of white light, a combination of emitters of whitelight and emitters of light intended to adjust or improve the colorcharacteristic(s) of the white light or by a number of sources ofdifferent colors (e.g. red, green and blue) that can be combined by thecavity 11 to produce light that is sufficiently white to support thegeneral illumination function of the device 10. Each included particularwavelength (PW) source 19 outputs light of some wavelength range about anominal rated wavelength, e.g. around 540 nanometers (nm), around 1300nm, about a nominal wavelength in the 320-340 nm, around 207 nm, around260 nm, and/or other wavelengths (e.g., near infrared of about 720 nm toabout 1000 nm, short wave infrared (SWIR) of about 1000 nm to about 3000nm, ultraviolet of about 100 nm to about 400 nm, near ultraviolet ofabout 380 nm to about 420 nm, etc.) reasonably expected to produce aparticular emission of a subject different from an emission produced byexposure of the subject to GI light when the PW light is output at asufficient intensity and/or with other sufficient characteristic(s).

Control of the intensity of output of the GI light source 17 and the PWlight source 19 sets a spectral characteristic of the combined GI lightand the PW light output through the aperture 20 of the opticalintegrating cavity. Although other types of light emitters may be usedfor either one or both of the sources 17, 19, for purposes of furtherdiscussion, we will assume that each source 17 or 19 utilizes one ormore light emitting diodes (LEDs).

The microcontroller 22 may be responsive to a number of differentcontrol input signals. For example, microcontroller 22 may be responsiveto one or more user inputs of various types. Further, themicrocontroller 22 may be responsive condition sensors, e.g. providinginformation relating to feedback about operations the LED light sources17 to 19 and/or sensing conditions of lighting or subjects in the spaceto be illuminated by the device. Feedback may be provided through thephoto sensing device (not shown), for example, to detect overallintensity of light output or information about color characteristics oflight in the cavity or output via the aperture. Depending on theapplication of the device 10, different types of optical feedbacksensing may be provided, relative to light generated for illuminationand/or particular wavelength light. It may also be desirable to sensetemperature of or around one or both light sources. Other conditionsensors may provide input information about one or more conditions inthe illuminated space. Although not shown, a sensor, for example, mightdetect occupancy; whereas another sensor might detect ambient lightlevel.

The device 10 includes a driver 21 a for the GI light source 17 and adriver 21 b for the PW light source 19. The drivers 21 a and 21 b may becontrolled independently from one another, although they may be operatedto selectively turn ON the respective sources at different times and/orsimultaneously with one another. GI driver 21 a controls the intensity,duration, and other characteristics (e.g., frequency of variation ofoutput intensity) of the GI light generated from the GI light source 17.If the source 17 produces light for general illumination of differentcolor characteristics, e.g. tunable white, the driver 21 a may alsoadjust source 17 to deliver different color light. The PW driver 21 bcontrols the intensity, duration, and other characteristics (e.g.,ON/OFF frequency of variation of output intensity) of the PW lightgenerated from the PW light source 19. Drivers 21 a and 21 b may becontrolled by the microcontroller 22, timers, and/or by a user input.Driver 21 b is configured to control the intensity and the duration ofPW light output from the PW light source 19 so as to reasonably expectto produce the particular emission.

The aperture 20 may serve as the final output of the lighting device 10.In the example, the device includes a secondary optic. Although varioussecondary optics may be used, such as lenses, diffusers, filters or thelike, the example utilizes a deflector to effectively direct the lightoutput from the aperture 20 over a desired field of illumination. Thedeflector may have other shapes or be formed in other ways, but in theexample, the deflector is formed by conical reflector 25.

The conical reflector 25 may have a variety of different shapes,depending on the particular lighting application. In the example, wherecavity 11 is hemispherical, the cross-section of the conical reflectoris typically circular. However, the reflector may be somewhat oval inshape. In applications using a semi-cylindrical cavity, the reflectormay be elongated or even rectangular in cross-section. The shape of theaperture 20 also may vary, but will typically match the shape of thesmall end opening of the reflector 25. Hence, in the example, theaperture 20 would be circular. However, for a device with asemi-cylindrical cavity and a reflector with a rectangularcross-section, the aperture may be rectangular.

Control of the intensity, duration and other characteristics of the PWlight output from the PW light source 19 ensures that the particularemission from a subject different from emissions produced by exposure ofthe subject to GI light is produced and will most likely be sufficientfor the machine vision related detection (absent unrelated interferingcircumstances). The intensity and the duration of the PW light outputmay be predetermined in the lighting device 10, or may be controlled(e.g., via driver 21 b, microcontroller 22, user input, etc.)independently of control of the GI light output, so as to be reasonablyexpected to produce the particular emission in a desired place and time.When PW lighting is provided for a particular emission, thewavelength(s) for producing the particular emission are output at theintensity and having any other characteristics appropriate to theparticular emission. If both GI and PW light output are providedsimultaneously, and there is a spectral overlap of the GI light and thePW light, the controller may adjust the characteristics of either one orboth types of light output accordingly, e.g. so that the combined lightprovides the characteristics at the PW wavelength(s) for the particularemission while maintaining as much as possible desirable lightingcharacteristics for GI purposes.

As an example, the lighting device 10 of system 1 may be oriented tooutput light (e.g., the combined GI light and PW light) to a space 26that includes a subject 28 in the space. Upon exposure of the subject 28to both the GI light and the PW light, an emission 29 a from the subject28 may be produced by exposure to the GI light and an emission 29 b fromthe subject 28 may be produced by exposure to the PW light, where theemission 29 b is other than the emission 29 a. As shown by way ofexample, the subject 28 appears gray due to exposure to the GI light,such that the emission 29 a may be a combinations of wavelengths thatappear as gray (or other visible color) visible light to a person in thespace. However, the emission 29 b due to exposure to the PW light may beother than a wavelengths of the gray visible light, such as othervisible light, infrared light, ultraviolet light, etc.

The emission 29 b may be indicative of a characteristic of the subjectthat is detected by the machine 30. For example, the particularwavelength may produce an emission 29 b that is characteristic of thechemical or physical structure of the subject 28 (e.g., blood,particular phosphor, etc.). The emission 29 b may depict the locationand/or shape of the subject. Additionally, the emission 29 b can bebased on a characteristic of the subject 28 due to exposure to GI light.The subject 28, as a characteristic, may produce an emission 29 a ofblue light due to exposure to the GI light. The particular wavelength PWcan cause the subject to produce a particular emission 29 b differentfrom the blue light emission produced by exposure of the subject to theGI light, and the particular wavelength output to produce the particularemission is chosen based on the characteristic of the subject 28 toproduce blue emissions from exposure to GI light. For example, theparticular wavelength output by the lighting device can produce anemission 29 b of ultraviolet light from subjects in the space 26 thatproduce relatively steady blue light emissions due to exposure to GIlight, such that the machine vision of a machine can be configured todetect subjects that are blue based on detecting ultraviolet particularemissions from the blue subjects produced by exposure of the bluesubjects to the particular wavelength.

As another example, the subject may be paint on a surface of the space26 that produces a yellow light emission due to exposure to GI light asa characteristic, while the rest of the surface produces a white lightemission due to exposure to GI light. In this later example, theparticular wavelength is output and is of sufficient intensityreasonably expected to produce a white emission (e.g., a particularemission) from the paint, thereby giving the paint a similar visualappearance as the rest of the surface. This, in effect, creates ametamer between the paint and the rest of the surface. Exposure to GIlight produces a white emission of the surface and a yellow emission ofthe paint. Based on the yellow emission produced, the particularwavelength output by the lighting device combined with the yellowemission produces a white particular emission from the paint similar tothe white emission of the surface (which is different from the yellowemission produced by exposure of the paint to the GI light), therebymaking the surface and the paint a metamer for a human (e.g., a whiteemission of the surface is produced based on exposure to GI light, and asimilar apparent white emission of the paint is produced based on thecombination of the yellow emission and the output of the particularwavelength, though the emission spectra of the paint and the surface maybe different). The machine vision of a machine can be configured suchthat the created metamer for a human is not a metamer for the machine.In such an example, the vision of the machine detects the location ofthe paint on the surface by detecting the color difference between thepaint and the surface. Alternatively, the vision of the machine may beconfigured to detect the particular emission from the paint and/or byfiltering the particular emission from the paint.

The above described examples of subject characteristics and emissionsare exemplary and not exclusive. It will be understood that a variety ofsubject characteristics can be exploited, and particular emissions fromsubjects by exposure to PW light can be produced and sensed with thesystems disclosed herein for machine vision applications.

The disclosed example of a machine vision system additionally includes amachine 30. Examples of such a machine 30 may include a variety of typesof apparatuses that can be configured to operate based on informationobtained by the image capture device 32 and the machine visionprocessing system 34. The machines 30 may also include a machinecontroller 36 for operating the machine 30 independently from thecontrol operations of the lighting device 10 (e.g., independent ofdrivers 21 a, 21 b, microcontroller 22, etc.). By way of just a fewexamples, the controller 36 may control movement of the machine 30 aboutthe space, movement of a portion of the machine 30 (e.g. a robotic arm),control a display of the machine, trigger and alert or alarm function ofthe machine, etc.

The machine 30 may be used for machine vision applications. Machinevision, as can be used in the systems disclosed herein, utilizescomponents of a machine to detect a characteristic of a subject tocontrol a machine function. The machine detection is supported by theoutput of a particular wavelength from a lighting device. The machine30, for example, performs an operation based on detecting acharacteristic of the subject 28 by processing, with a machine visionprocessing system 34, input that includes the particular emission fromthe subject 28 produced by a particular wavelength output by thelighting device 10 and that is received from an image capture device 32coupled to the machine vision processing system 34. In the example, themachine 30 also includes a machine controller 36 that operates themachine 30 independent from the controllers that operate the lightingdevice 10. Examples of machine operation include movement control,detection control, function control, display control and/or othercontrols that may be based on detection of the characteristic of thesubject in the space. Other examples of machine operation can includetaking wheel alignment measurements of a car, controlling a roboticwelder on a production line, detecting subjects at a particularlocations, (e.g. on a production line for a relevant ‘pick-and-place’robotic arm operation), detecting a user or part of a user′ bodyextending into a dangerous zone about a machine, determining parametersfrom an image to determine where to steer a robot or how to further milla part on which a milling machine is working, etc.

As an example, the machine 30 may be an object detection device that isconfigured to detect specific subjects based on the characteristics ofthe subjects and provide related information to a user of the machine.Characteristics of a subject can include subject location in a space,subject presence in a space, chemical or physical composition of thesubject, etc. For example, a machine may be a visor with a displayvisible to a person equipped with the visor. An image capture device(e.g., a camera) on or associated with the visor is coupled to thedisplay and configured to capture reflections of PWs or PW responsiveemission in a space. A lighting device (such as lighting device 10)illuminates the space. The GI light is output for normal white lightingof the space. The PW that is output is a wavelength that, when a subjectin the space (e.g., blood, DNA, contaminants, seminal fluid, etc.) isexposed to it, causes the subject 28 to emit light (e.g., infrared,ultraviolet, etc.) at a known wavelength based on a characteristic ofthe subject 28. For example, for preliminary blood detection, UV lightmay be used. The UV light causes certain other materials to fluoresce inthe visible range, while the blood absorbs the UV light. Thus, the bloodwould appear dark on a brighter background. In such examples, theintensity of the PW light may be increased to increase the contrastbetween the blood and the background, aiding the machine vision todetect the blood via the image capture device and/or filters. The camerain the visor can be tuned to take images of the space, includingcapturing the known wavelength emitted by the subject 28 when exposed tothe PW light. The images are then processed (e.g., by a processor or thelike acting as the machine vision processing system 34), and the machine(e.g., a display function of the visor) is operated (e.g., by theprocessor or another element acting as the machine controller 36) toalter the images, making the known wavelengths emitted from the subjectsin the image appear yellow (or other visible color), and then to outputthe altered image to the display. In this way, the visor can communicatethe location of the subject to the user of the visor. The machine mayalso be configured to display the subject in a flashing pattern ofvisible light.

Other examples of machines include robotic machines constructed forproduction or movement. For example, robotic devices that areconstructed for movement through a space can be designed to move basedon grid guidance patterns applied to the space. Such machines can beconfigured to detect the characteristics of the grid guidance patternsbased on particular emissions produced by the PW light utilizing machinevision. In the above described example of utilizing paint of a knowncharacteristic, a grid pattern in a space formed with the paint can bevisibly hidden by producing a particular emission from the paint so asto make the paint appear similar to the rest of the space. In such anexample, a machine using machine vision can be configured to detect theparticular emission of the paint and/or filter the detected particularemission, thereby causing the machine to detect the location of the gridpattern, and operate so as to move the machine along the grid pattern.Such machines can also be configured to restrict movement based ondetecting the location of obstructions in a space utilizing thedisclosed systems. For example, the machine can be configured tointeract with or avoid interacting with subjects in a space that emit aparticular color of light when exposed to GI light.

Machines for machine vision using the PW lighting can also includemachines configured to scan a subject and capture information from thesubject based on a particular emission from the subject. In one suchexample, the subject is text printed with ink of which light of aparticular wavelength produces a particular emission from the text,allowing the machine with appropriately configured machine visioncomponents to detect the location of the text (e.g., the characteristicof the text). Upon detecting the location of the text, the machine canbe configured to perform a scanning and recording operation of the text,for example, via image capture. Similar techniques may be used to detectother types of printed symbols or indicia, e.g. bar codes or holographicimages.

Additional examples of machines for machine vision include securitysystems configured to detect particular emissions from metals, residues,and the like based on corresponding characteristics that cause aparticular emission of the metals/residues to be produced by exposure toPW light. Such machines may be configured to alert of the presence of asubject with a particular characteristic based on lighting contrastdifferences. For example, a lighting system may be configured to producea particular emission of a subject that is of a visible wavelength. Itmay be desirable in such examples to mask the visibility of theparticular emission (e.g., in security applications). The colortemperature/contrast of GI light output from the lighting device can beincreased to mask the appearance of the particular emission. The machinecan be configured to capture and process images for contrast correction,detect the characteristic of the subject, and operate to provide analert as to the detection of the characteristic of the subject.

It will be understood that a variety of machines and machine visionapplications can be utilized with and can benefit from the disclosedsystems herein in addition to those machines and machine visionapplications described above.

As illustrated FIG. 1, the machine 30 includes an image capture device32, a machine vision processing system 34, and a machine controller 36.The image capture device 32 as shown is coupled to the machine visionsystem 34. Although depicted integrated into the machine 30, the imagecapture device 32 may be in communication with the machine 30externally. For example, the image capture device 32 may be integratedinto the lighting device 10, the space 26, etc., and in wirelesscommunication (e.g., WiFi, BlueTooth, NFC, etc.) with the machine 30and/or the machine vision processing system 34. The image capture device32 is configured to image the space 26 and/or subjects in the space andconfigured to send the image(s) to the machine vision processing system34 as an input for the machine vision processing system 34. The imagecapture device 32 may be a detector, camera, CCD, and/or other suitabledevices for capturing images. More than one image capturing device maybe utilized in the disclosed systems (e.g., multiple image capturingdevices for multiple spaces and/or 3-D imaging). For example, the imagecapture device 32 may be tuned to the particular wavelength orwavelengths output from PW source 19 (e.g. to detect emissions from thesubject 28 under the particular illumination) or to detect an emissionfrom the subject 28 when exposed to the particular wavelength(s). As anexample, the subject may be blood, and a particular wavelength may beemitted at a sufficient intensity reasonably expected to produce aparticular emission from the subject based on the characteristic ofblood. The image capture device 32 can be configured to capture theparticular emission expected to be produced by exposure of the subjectto the particular wavelength.

The machines in the disclosed examples also include a machine visionprocessing system (MVPS) 34. The MVPS 34 is coupled to the image capturedevice 32 and is configured to receive captured images from the imagecapture device 32 as an input for processing. The MVPS 34 is configuredto process the input received from the image capture device 32 and todetect a characteristic of the subject in the space in response toreceiving the input. The MVPS 34 benefits from the particular wavelengthoutput by the lighting device 10 for the detection of the characteristicof the subject in that the outputted wavelength(s) causes emission froma subject of light of a particular characteristic that allows the MVPS34 to perform the appropriate image processing for the machine visionapplication. Instead of or in addition to the tuning of the imagecapture device 32 outlined above, the MVPS 34 may be tuned to theparticular wavelength and/or the particular emission reasonably expectedto be produced by exposure of the subject to the particular wavelength.As an example with the paint described above, the MVPS 34 can beconfigured to detect the characteristic of the paint by processing theinput from the image capture device 32 to detect the particularemissions of the paint due to exposure to the particular wavelength. Asanother example, the MVPS 34 can be configured to detect thecharacteristic of the subject by filtering the particular emissionscaptured by the image capture device 32. In such examples, the MVPS 34can cause the machine 30 to view the subject as though the subject isonly exposed to the GI light and not the PW light, as the MVPS 34 (orother component of the machine vision system) filters the particularemissions produced by exposure to PW light.

In some examples, the machine 30 uses filters for machine visionapplications. A filter may be coupled with the image capture device 32,the MVPS 34, and/or the lighting device 10. For example, a filter may beplaced over the image capture device 32 and may be configured toexclude, alter, and/or enhance particular emissions in captured imagesto be used by the MVPS 34 for operation of the machine 30. In anotherexample, the filter is coupled to the MVPS 34 for hyperspectral imaging.The MVPS 34 may include a time based filter that is calibrated to anoutput rate of the particular emission. For example, the PW light isoutput at a predetermined frequency, and the filter is calibrated to thepredetermined frequency. In another example, a filter is coupled to thelighting device and is configured to selectively permit predeterminedwavelengths to be output from the lighting device. It is contemplatedthat any combination of filters described herein may be used in thedisclosed machine vision systems.

Examples of machines of the disclosed systems can also be configured tooperate via a machine controller 36 that is coupled to the image capturedevice 32 and the MVPS 34. The controller 36 may be coupled to othercomponents of the machine 30 not shown, such as wheels, displays,appendages, etc. The controller 36 operates the machine 30 based, atleast in part, on the detection of the characteristic of the subject.Additionally, the controller 36 may operate the machine 30 independentlyand separately from the controllers of the lighting device 10 (e.g.,drivers 21 a, 21 b, microcontroller 22, etc.) and/or other components ofthe system 1. Although shown as independently operating devices, thecontroller 22 of the lighting device 10 and the image capture device 32and/or processing system 34 of the machine 30 may be operationallylinked if appropriate. For example, timing of PW output by the source 19in device 10 may be coordinated with operations of the image capturedevice 32 in machine 30.

The MVPS 34 may operate to communicate the location of the subject inthe space based on detecting the characteristic of the subject from theinput. As another example, the MVPS 34 and/or controller 36 operates themachine to control movement of the machine 30 through the space based onthe detected characteristics. In such examples, the subject may be agrid movement guidance pattern, e.g. on the floor or other appropriatesurface(s) in the space 26. The MVPS 34 is configured to detect thecharacteristic(s) of the grid pattern; and, based on the detectedcharacteristics, the MVPS 34 and/or controller 36 controls the movementof the machine 30 through the space based on the grid guidance pattern.In addition to grids, the subject may also define a movement perimeteror movement boundaries in the space that the MVPS 34 is configured todetect and the controller 36 is configured to operate movement of themachine 30 according to the movement perimeter or movement boundaries.The controller 36 may also be operable to communicate a chemical orphysical property of the subject based on the detected characteristic.For example, the MVPS 34 can be configured to detect multiple types ofsubjects within the space (e.g., blood and contaminants), such that themachine 30, via the controller 36, operates to communicate the type ofsubject in the space based on the detected characteristic. It will berecognized that the above described machine operations that can bebased, at least in part, on the detected characteristic of a subject ina space are exemplary and not exclusive, as many operational functionsfor machines can be accomplished with the systems disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of exemplary circuitry for the sources andassociated control circuit, providing digital programmable control,which may be utilized with the systems and lighting devices of the typedescribed above. In this circuit example, the sources of radiant energyof the various types together form an LED array 111. Although white LEDsor combinations of white and other colors of LEDs may be used as ageneral illumination light source 112, the example uses LEDs of severaldifferent colors to provide the general illumination. Hence, array 111comprises two or more LEDs of each of the three primary colors, redgreen and blue, represented by LED blocks 113, 115 and 117. For example,the array may comprise six red LEDs 113, three green LEDs 115 and threeblue LEDs 117. The LED blocks 113, 115, and 117 make up the light source112 for general illumination (e.g., GI light) of a space.

The LED array in this example also includes a number of additional or“other” LEDs 119 that make up the light source for generating light of aparticular wavelength (e.g., PW light). There are several types ofadditional LEDs that are of particular interest in the presentdiscussion. One type of additional LED provides one or more additionalwavelengths of radiant energy for each beneficial purpose to besupported by operation of the device 10, for integration within thecavity 11. The additional wavelengths may be in the visible portion ofthe light spectrum. Alternatively, the additional wavelength LEDs mayprovide energy in one or more wavelengths outside the visible spectrum,for example, in the infrared range or the ultraviolet range. Theadditional wavelengths generated by the PW light source 119 areparticular and are of a sufficient intensity and duration to produce aparticular emission from a subject different than an emission producedby exposure of the subject to GI light.

Another type of alternative or additional LED of interest is a whiteLED. For white lighting applications, one or more white LEDs provideincreased intensity. The primary color LEDs then provide light for coloradjustment and/or correction of the GI light generated by the GI lightsource 112. The white LED may also be used for adjustment and/orcorrection of the PW light generated by the PW light source 119.

The electrical components shown in FIG. 2 also include an LED controlsystem 120. The system 120 includes driver circuits for the various LEDsand a microcontroller. The driver circuits supply electrical current tothe respective LEDs 113 to 119 to cause the LEDs to emit light. Thedriver circuit 121 drives the red LEDs 113, the driver circuit 123drives the green LEDs 115, and the driver circuit 125 drives the blueLEDs 117. In this example using three types of LEDs to implement the GIsource, the driver circuits 121, 123, and 125 make up the generalillumination driver (GI driver) for the GI light source 112. In asimilar fashion, when active, the particular wavelength driver circuit(PW driver) 127 provides electrical current to the PW LEDs 119. If theother LEDs provide another color of light, and are connected in series,there may be a single driver circuit 127. The intensity of the outputtedlight of a given LED is related to the level of current supplied by therespective driver circuit. As such, the PW driver 127 is configured tosupply sufficient current to the PW light source 119 such that theparticular emission can be produced by exposure to the PW light.

The current output of each driver circuit is controlled by the higherlevel logic of the system. In this digital control example, that logicis implemented by a programmable microcontroller 129, although thoseskilled in the art will recognize that the logic could take other forms,such as discrete logic components, an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), etc.

The LED driver circuits and the microcontroller 129 receive power from apower supply 131, which is connected to an appropriate power source (notseparately shown). For most task-lighting applications, the power sourcewill be an AC line current source, however, some applications mayutilize DC power from a battery or the like. The power supply 129converts the voltage and current from the source to the levels needed bythe driver circuits 121-127 and the microcontroller 129.

A programmable microcontroller typically includes or has coupled theretorandom-access memory (RAM) for storing data and read-only memory (ROM)and/or electrically erasable read only memory (EEROM) for storingcontrol programming and any pre-defined operational parameters, such aspre-established light ‘recipes.’ The microcontroller 129 itselfcomprises registers and other components for implementing a centralprocessing unit (CPU) and possibly an associated arithmetic logic unit.The CPU implements the program to process data in the desired manner andthereby generate desired control outputs.

The microcontroller 129 is programmed to control the LED driver circuits121-125 to set the individual output intensities of the LEDs 113-117 todesired levels, so that the light generated from the GI light source 112from the aperture of the cavity has a desired spectral characteristicand a desired overall intensity. The microcontroller 129 is alsoprogrammed to control the PW driver 127 independently from and/orsimultaneously to the GI drivers 121-125, such that the PW lightgenerated by LEDs 119 is of a sufficient intensity, is output for asufficient duration, and/or has the appropriate characteristics so as toproduce a particular emission of the subject. The microcontroller 129may be programmed to essentially establish and maintain or preset adesired ‘recipe’ or mixture of the available wavelengths provided by theLEDs used in the particular system, at different times or underdifferent conditions and/or for different operational purposes. Forexample, there may be one or several such recipes for general lightingand one or more for each particular wavelength lighting purposesupported by the particular implementation of the lighting device. Themicrocontroller 129 receives control inputs specifying the particular‘recipe’ or mixture, as will be discussed below. To insure that thedesired mixture is maintained for the GI light, the microcontroller mayreceive a color feedback signal from an appropriate color sensor. Themicrocontroller may also be responsive to a feedback signal from atemperature sensor, for example, in or near the optical integratingcavity.

The electrical system will also include one or more control inputs 133for inputting information instructing the microcontroller 129 as to thedesired operational settings. A number of different types of inputs maybe used, and several alternatives are illustrated for convenience. Agiven installation may include a selected one or more of the illustrated(or other) control input mechanisms.

As one example, user inputs take the form of a number of potentiometers135. The number would typically correspond to the number of differentlight wavelengths provided by the GI light source 112 and the particularwavelength provided by the PW light source 119. The potentiometers 135typically connect through one or more analog to digital conversioninterfaces provided by the microcontroller 129 (or in associatedcircuitry). To set the parameters for the GI light, the user adjusts thepotentiometers 135 to set the intensity for each color in the GI lightsource 112. Correspondingly, a user may adjust the potentiometers 135 toactivate the PW light source 119, and/or to set the desired intensity,duration, and characteristic of the PW light to produce the particularemission from the subject in the space. The microcontroller 129 sensesthe input settings and controls the LED driver circuits accordingly toset corresponding intensity levels for the LEDs providing the light forgeneral illumination and the light of the particular wavelength.

Another user input implementation might utilize one or more dip switches137. For example, there might be a series of such switches to input acode corresponding to one of a number of recipes. The memory used by themicrocontroller 129 would store the necessary intensity levels for thedifferent color LEDs in the GI light source 112 for each recipe. Basedon the input code, the microcontroller 129 retrieves the appropriaterecipe from memory. Then, the microcontroller 129 controls the GI LEDdriver circuits 121-125 accordingly, to set corresponding intensitylevels for the LEDs 113-117 providing the light for general illuminationof the space. The microcontroller 129 may operate similarly forindependent activation and control of the PW light source 119 and the PWdriver 127 to generate light of the particular wavelength.

As an alternative or in addition to the user input in the form ofpotentiometers 135 or dip switches 137, the microcontroller 129 may beresponsive to control data supplied from a separate source or a remotesource. For that purpose, some versions of the system will include oneor more communication interfaces. One example of a general class of suchinterfaces is a wired interface 139. One type of wired interfacetypically enables communications to and/or from a personal computer orthe like, typically within the premises in which the fixture operates.Examples of such local wired interfaces include USB, RS-232, andwire-type local area network (LAN) interfaces. Other wired interfaces,such as appropriate modems, might enable cable or telephone linecommunications with a remote computer, typically outside the premises.Other examples of data interfaces provide wireless communications, asrepresented by the interface 141 in FIG. 2. Wireless interfaces, forexample, use radio frequency (RF) or infrared (IR) links. The wirelesscommunications may be local on-premises communications, analogous to awireless local area network (WLAN). Alternatively, the wirelesscommunications may enable communication with a remote device outside thepremises, using wireless links to a wide area network.

As noted above, the electrical components may also include one or morefeedback sensors 143, to provide system performance measurements asfeedback signals to the control logic, implemented in this example bythe microcontroller 129. A variety of different sensors may be used,alone or in combination, for different applications. In the illustratedexamples, the set 143 of feedback sensors includes a color sensor 145and a temperature sensor 147. Although not shown, other feedbacksensors, such as an overall intensity sensor may be used. Alternativelyor in addition, the system may include external condition sensors, forexample, to sense ambient light level and/or color characteristics or tosense occupancy. The feedback and/or external condition sensors arepositioned in or around the system to measure the appropriate physicalcondition, e.g. temperature, color, intensity, etc.

The color feedback sensor 145, for example, is coupled to detect colordistribution in the integrated radiant energy. The color sensor may becoupled to sense energy within the optical integrating cavity, withinthe deflector (if provided) or at a point in the field illuminated bythe particular system. Various examples of appropriate color sensors areknown. If mainly used for feedback sensing relative to the generallighting illumination, the sensor 145 might be an RGB color sensor suchas a Hamamatsu style RGB color sensor. Another suitable sensor might usethe quadrant light detector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,877,490, withappropriate color separation on the various light detector elements (seeU.S. Pat. No. 5,914,487 for discussion of the color analysis).Alternative or additional sensors may be provided for sensing light inone or more wavelength ranges from the PW LEDs 119.

The associated logic circuitry, responsive to the detected colordistribution, controls the output intensity of the GI light and controlsthe PW light independently from the GI light, so as to provide a desiredcolor distribution in the integrated radiant energy for generalillumination of the space, as well as particular wavelengths ofsufficient intensity, duration, and characteristic for producing aparticular emission from a subject different from an emission producedby general illumination of the space, in accord with appropriatesettings. The color sensor measures the color of the integrated radiantenergy produced by the system and provides a color measurement signal tothe microcontroller 129.

The temperature sensor 147 may be a simple thermoelectric transducerwith an associated analog to digital converter, or a variety of othertemperature detectors may be used. The temperature sensor is positionedon or inside of the fixture, typically at a point that is near the LEDsor other sources that produce most of the system heat. The temperaturesensor 147 provides a signal representing the measured temperature tothe microcontroller 129. The system logic, here implemented by themicrocontroller 129, can adjust intensity of one or more of the LEDs inresponse to the sensed temperature, e.g. to reduce intensity of thesource outputs to compensate for temperature increases.

The systems and methods disclosed herein include a lighting system togenerate light for general illumination of a space and generate light ofa particular wavelength of a sufficient intensity, duration, andcharacteristic reasonably expected to produce a particular emission froma subject in a space different from an emission produced by exposure ofthe subject to general illumination. The general illumination light andthe light of the particular wavelength can be generated independently ofeach other. In an example, the particular wavelength (PW) light isgenerated from a discrete light source separate from the light sourcefor generating general illumination (GI) light, and both sources areintegrated into the same lighting device.

Subjects in a space that are illuminated by the lighting devices haveoptical characteristics that respond under exposure to light. Exposureto GI light produces an emission from a subject in a space. For example,blue ink will emit blue light under exposure to general illuminationlight. When the optical properties of a subject are known, particularwavelengths can be output at sufficient intensities reasonably expectedto produce a particular emission from the subject different than anemission produced by exposure of the subject to GI light. As an example,the same blue ink can be exposed to PW light of sufficient intensity andduration reasonably expected to produce violet light as a particularemission from the subject. In such an example, the particular emissionmay be visible without the use of a detector/image capture device.Alternatively, the subject can be exposed to PW light that produces aparticular emission outside the visible spectrum, which would require adetector (e.g., an image capture device, filter, machine visionprocessing system, etc.) configured to detect such a particularemission.

A subject in the space may also be visibly disguised by use of PW lightproducing a particular emission from the subject. For example, paint maybe applied to the floor of a space and exposure to GI light produces anemission of yellow light of the paint, while the GI light produces awhite emission from the rest of the floor. If the optical properties ofthe paint are known (e.g., the emission curves and excitation curves),simultaneously outputting PW light of a sufficient intensity and/orparameter in combination with the yellow light emission from the paintcan produce a particular emission of white light from the paint, whichwould cause the paint to appear visibly similar to the floor. An imagecapture device in a machine vision application, such as a camera, couldbe used to detect and/or filter the particular emission of the paint,and then a processor, such as a machine vision processing system, canfilter the particular emission, such that the location of the paint isdetected.

Subjects in the space can include various types of subject of whichoptical properties are known such that exposure to PW light produces aparticular emission from the subject different from an emission producedby exposure of the subject to GI light. Examples of subjects includefurniture, fixtures, paints, blood, dust, contaminants, explosivesresidue, liquids, obstructions, etc., contained with a space. The abovelist of objects is exemplary and not exclusive, as it is contemplated avariety of subjects can be utilized in the disclosed systems of whichthe optical properties of the subjects are known.

In examples of the systems disclosed herein, machines can be constructedto operate based on detected characteristics of the subjects supportedby the PW light output from the lighting devices. The machines caninclude image capturing devices that image the space with thesubject(s), and the image capture devices can be tuned or configuredspecifically for use with the particular wavelength to capture theparticular emissions of the subjects and the characteristics of thesubjects. The machines may implement machine vision processing systemsthat receive the images from the input capturing devices as an input todetect the characteristics of the subjects in the space. The detectedcharacteristics of the subject can include location of the subject,position of the subject, chemical and/or physical properties of thesubject, type of subject, and other characteristics that a machine candetect for operation of the machine based, at least in part, on thedetected characteristics. The machine may be operated with a machinecontroller coupled to the machine vision processing system andconfigured to operate the machine independent of other controllerswithin the system. The operation may be movement operation such that thelocation of the subject is used by the machine to determine where themachine can move within the space. The type of subject may be a movementguidance pattern, such as a grid pattern, that the machine uses tooperate movement within the space. The chemical or physical propertiesof the subject can be blood type or contaminant type, and the operationof the machine can be communication of the property of the subject. Avariety of machine operations in addition to those described above maybe performed based on the detection of a characteristic of a subject ina space with the systems disclosed herein.

Additional examples of mechanisms for producing light for generalillumination and particular wavelengths with the lighting devices foruse in machine vision applications of the disclosed systems are depictedin FIGS. 3-5. For convenience of illustration, these illustrations showexamples of lighting devices positioned to emit light downward, e.g.from a ceiling fixture or drop-light type installation. As with theearlier examples, the examples in FIGS. 3-5 may be positioned ororiented to output light in other directions as suitable for particularlighting applications and/or installations.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a lighting device utilizing a dimmingmechanism. The lighting system 200 includes an array 202 of LEDs 203.The array 202 is partitioned into a general illumination (GI) section206 coupled to a general illumination (GI) driver 208 and a particularwavelength (PW) section 210 coupled to a particular wavelength (PW)driver 212. The GI section 206 functions as the GI light source and thePW section 210 functions as the PW light source for the lighting device200. A controller 214 is coupled to the GI driver 208 and the PW driver212 and the drivers 210 and 212 operate in response to the controller214. The controller 214 operates the PW driver 212 independently fromand/or simultaneously to the GI driver 208. The controller 214 mayoperate the drivers 210 and 212 based on predetermined settings, timers,and/or user input. The drivers and controller may be implemented in amanner similar to the drivers and controllers in the earlier examples.For convenience, the optical elements coupled to the sources so as tosupply both types of light to the device output are not shownspecifically in this drawing.

The LEDs 204 a on the GI section 206 produce light for generalillumination of a space, and may be configured and arranged to producefixed white light, tunable white light, RGB, etc. The LEDs 204 b on thePW section 206 generate light of a particular wavelength to produce aparticular emission from a subject different from an emission producedby exposure of the subject to GI light. In the example illustrated inFIG. 3, the PW driver 212 implements a dimming mechanism such that, inresponse to a corresponding signal from the controller 214, the PWdriver 212 decreases the brightness and intensity of the PW LEDs 204 bindependently from the GI LEDs 204 a when the output of the PW is notdesired. The brightness and intensity of the GI LEDs 204 a can bemaintained and, thus, GI light is output, illuminating the space. Whenthe output of the PW light is desired, the PW driver 212, in response toa corresponding signal from the controller 214, increases the brightnessand intensity of the PW LEDs 204 b to a sufficient level, and theintensity of the PW LEDs 204 b is maintained for a sufficient durationreasonably expected to produce the particular emission from the subject.When the output of the PW is desired and the intensity of the PW LEDs204 b is increased, the brightness and intensity of the GI LEDs 204 amay be independently maintained, such that both general illumination ofthe space and the output of PWs to produce the particular emission isaccomplished. In such examples, the light generated by the PW section208 may have little effect on the appearance of the light generated bythe GI section 206. The GI driver 210 may also include a dimmingmechanism to adjust the brightness of the GI LEDs 204 a independentlyfrom the PW LEDs 204 b and/or a switch to power the GI LEDs 204 a ON orOFF independently from the PW LEDs 204 b. Thus, it is contemplated thatthe lighting devices disclosed, such as lighting system 200, may beoperable to generate PW light while not generating GI light, and viceversa.

FIG. 4 depicts another example of a lighting device. The lighting system300 includes an array 302 of LEDs 303. The array 302 of LEDs 303 ispartitioned into a GI section 306 and a PW section 308. A GI driver 310is coupled to the GI section 306 and a PW driver 312 is coupled to thePW section 308. A controller 314 is coupled to the GI driver 310. Thecontroller 314 may function with respect to GI driver 310 as thecontroller 214 functions with respect to GI driver 210 described abovewith regard to FIG. 3. The drivers and controller may also beimplemented in a manner similar to the drivers and controllers in theother earlier examples. For convenience, the optical elements coupled tothe sources so as to supply both types of light to the device output arenot shown specifically in this drawing.

In this example, the controller 314 is also coupled to an array ofshutters 316 that are positioned between the PW LEDs 304 b and theoutput (not shown) of the lighting device 300. The shutters 316 may bemechanical shutters, LCD shutters, microelectromechanical (MEM)shutters, etc. Shutter 318 a is shown in an open position, allowing PWlight generated from a PW LED to pass through the output of the lightingdevice 300 and be output from the lighting device 300, and shutter 318 bis shown in a closed position, blocking PW light generated from a PW LEDfrom passing through the output of the lighting device 300, thereforepreventing the PW LED light from being output from the lighting device300.

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the PW driver 312 operates the PWLEDs 304 b at a sufficient brightness and intensity so as to produce theparticular emission from the subject with the PW light output by the PWLEDs 304 b. The output of the PW light is regulated by the array ofshutters 316 coupled to the controller 314. The shutters 316 open uponreceiving a corresponding opening signal from the controller 314,thereby allowing the PW light generated at the PW section 318 to passthrough the output of the lighting device 300. Shutters 316 may becontrolled together in groups, or each individual one of the shuttersmay be separately controlled. The shutters 316 close upon receiving acorresponding closing signal(s) from the controller 314, therebypreventing the PW light from passing through the output of the lightingdevice 300. The controller 314 may be configured to signal a portion ofthe array of shutters 316 to open and/or close, which can reduce orincrease the brightness and intensity of the PW light that passesthrough the output of the lighting device 300. In such examples, anumber shutters in the array of shutters 316 will be open (e.g., openshutter 318 a) and a number of shutters will be closed (e.g., closedshutter 318 b).

The lighting device 300 may also include an array of similar shutters(not shown) positioned between the GI LEDs 304 a and the output of thelighting device 300 that are coupled to the controller to selectivelypermit GI light to pass through the output. In such examples, theshutters positioned over the GI light section 306 may be controlledindependently from the shutters 316 over the PW light section 308.Although not depicted, the controller 314 may be coupled to the PWdriver 312 to control the brightness and intensity of the PW LEDs 304 b.

It is contemplated that the lighting devices 200 and 300 (and otherlighting devices disclosed herein) may incorporate a combination ofdimming mechanisms as described relative to FIG. 3 along with any numberor arrangement of shutters, such as shutters 316 of FIG. 4, to generatelight for general illumination and to generate PW light to produce aparticular emission from a subject in a space different from an emissionproduced by exposure of the subject to the GI light.

Additionally, more than one particular wavelength may be generated bythe lighting systems. For example, the arrays 202, 302 of LEDs can bepartitioned into a GI light section and multiple PW light sections, witheach PW light section having an independent PW driver being capable ofgenerating distinct PWs. Thus, the lighting devices disclosed mayinclude a GI light source, a first PW light source for generating afirst particular wavelength to produce a first particular emission froma subject, a second PW light source for generating light of a secondparticular wavelength to produce a second particular emission from asubject, and so on.

The examples of FIGS. 3 and 4 show the LEDs of the different types indifferent sections of the arrays. It should be apparent that otherarrangements of the LEDs in and about each array may be used. Forexample, the LEDs for GI output may be dispersed at various locationsabout the array and the LEDs for PW output may be dispersed about thearray so as to be intermingled with the LEDs for GI output.

FIG. 5 illustrates a further example of a lighting device for generatingGI light and PW light with a GI light source and a PW light sourceintegrated into the same device. The lighting system 400 includes anarray 402 of lights 404 (e.g., LEDs), a polarizer 406 positioned overthe lights 404, and a pixelated screen 408. The array 402 of lights 404may operate as a light source (e.g., a back light) for projecting lighttoward the pixelated screen 408. The pixelated screen 408 may be apixelated phosphorescent screen, a pixelated florescent screen, a screenimplementing LEDs, phosphors, quantum dots, etc. In the example of FIG.5, the GI light source (not finely delineated) may be a partitionedsection of pixels in the screen 408 that includes pixels dedicated togenerating and outputting light for general illumination or may bepixels for general illumination output at selected locations dispersedacross the screen area. Additionally, the PW light source (not finelydelineated) may be pixels in another partitioned section of the screen408 or may be pixels at other selected locations dispersed across thescreen area, configured to generate and output light of a particularwavelength that produce a particular emission from a subject differentfrom an emission produced by exposure of the subject to GI light.Between the polarizer 406 and the screen 408 is an array of LCDs 410. Adriver 412 is coupled to the array 402, and a controller 414 is coupledto the driver 412 and the LCDs 410. The LCDs 410 act as shutters and thedevice may include an LCD shutter corresponding to each pixel on thescreen 408. The LCDs 410 can be configured to operate as discreteshutters (e.g., shutters with only an open and closed position), or asgray-scale shutters. The drivers and controller may be implemented in amanner similar to the drivers and controllers in the earlier examples.For convenience, the optical elements coupled to the sources so as tosupply both types of light to the device output are not shownspecifically in this drawing.

The pixelated screen 408 may include fluorescent materials, such as ofany suitable type phosphor, e.g., traditional phosphors, dopedsemiconductor nanophosphors or quantum dots. Wavelength convertingmaterials absorb excitation energy then re-emit the energy as radiationof a different wavelength than the initial excitation energy. Forexample, some phosphors produce a down-conversion referred to as a“Stoke shift,” in which the emitted radiation has less quantum energyand thus a longer wavelength. Other phosphors produce an up-conversionor “Anti-Stokes shift,” in which the emitted radiation has greaterquantum energy and thus a shorter wavelength.

Semiconductor nanophosphors, sometimes referred to as Quantum dots(QDs), provide similar shifts in wavelengths of light. QDs are nanoscale semiconductor particles, typically crystalline in nature, whichabsorb light of one wavelength and re-emit light at a differentwavelength, much like conventional phosphors. However, unlikeconventional phosphors, optical properties of the quantum dots can bemore easily tailored, for example, as a function of the size of thedots. In this way, for example, it is possible to adjust the absorptionspectrum and/or the emission spectrum of the QDs by controlling crystalformation during the manufacturing process so as to change the size ofthe QDs. Thus, QDs of the same material, but with different sizes, canabsorb and/or emit light of different colors. For at least someexemplary QD materials, the larger the dots, the redder the spectrum ofre-emitted light; whereas smaller dots produce a bluer spectrum ofre-emitted light.

Doped semiconductor nanophosphors are somewhat similar in that they arenanocrystals formed of semiconductor materials. However, this later typeof semiconductor nanophosphors is doped, for example, with a transitionmetal or a rare earth metal. For white GI light emission, mixtures mayuse two, three or more doped semiconductor nanophosphors and may furtherinclude one or more non-doped semiconductor nanophosphor.

Doped semiconductor nanophosphors may be used individually to generatePW emissions. Doped semiconductor nanophosphors exhibit a relativelylarge Stokes shift, from shorter wavelength of absorption spectra tolonger wavelength emissions spectra. If desirable for a devicesupporting a number of different PW applications, several dopedsemiconductor nanophosphor types may be used that are excited inresponse to a particular electromagnetic energy range but where eachtype re-emits visible light of a different spectral characteristic. Atleast for the doped semiconductor nanophosphors, each phosphor emissionspectra may then have little or no overlap with excitation or absorptionranges of the doped semiconductor nanophosphors dispersed in thematerial, so as to support spectrally separate PW emissions withoutsubstantial cross-excitation.

Utilizing the properties of the luminescent phosphor materials, eachpixel in the screen 408 can be tailored to produce a particularwavelength or range of wavelengths in the spectrum. The phosphors mayhave different excitation spectra, and use of different phosphors mightrequire use of LEDs emitting multiple types/colors of light to drive thephosphors. In our example, however, we will assume that all of thephosphors used in the various pixels of the screen 408 are of typeshaving excitation spectra that overlap each other in a spectral regionthat includes the emission spectra of a particular type of LED. Forexample, the screen 408 may use nanophosphors of various types excitedin response to near ultraviolet (UV) electromagnetic energy in the rangeof 380-420 nm and/or of various types excited in response to UV energyin a range of 380 nm and shorter. In such an example, the LEDs 402therefore all may be of that same particular type, e.g. of a type foremission at a nominal wavelength in the range of 380-420 nm or of a typefor emission at a nominal wavelength in the range of 380 nm and shorter.

When light from the LED array 402 passes through the polarizer 406, thecontroller 414 operates the LCD shutters 410 (either discrete orgray-scale) to selectively permit the light to pass and enter the pixelsof the screen 408. The pixels, made up of phosphors or quantum dots,will generate light of a wavelength corresponding to the properties ofeach pixel, when the respective LCD pixels of the array 410 allow lightto pass through to the phosphor pixels of screen 408 to excite output ofPWs by those phosphor pixels.

With this structure, sections of the screen 408 can be partitioned suchthat a section includes only pixels that output a particular wavelengthto produce a particular emission of a subject (e.g., a PW). Othersections of the screen 408 (or the rest of the screen 408) may includephosphor materials that emit various wavelengths which can be combinedto produce light for general illumination. Thus, the lighting device 400can utilize the LCDs 410 to prevent light generated by the array 402from entering the sections of the screen 408 constructed for outputtingthe PWs, and to allow light generated by the array 402 to enter thesections of the screen 408 for outputting GI light. The LCDs 410 can becontrolled to output both GI light and PWs and either GI light or PWsindependent of each other.

In an additional example, the LCDs 410 may be gray-scale shutters, suchthat various brightness and intensities of the light from the array 402are permitted to pass through each of the pixels in the screen 408.Controlling an LCD in the LCD array 410 toward the darker end of thegray-scale via the controller 414 sends dimmer, lower intensity light tothe phosphor pixel, thus making the subsequent light output from thepixel of a lower intensity. Controlling an LCD in the LCD array 410toward the lighter end of the gray-scale via the controller 414 sendsbrighter, higher intensity light to the phosphor pixel, making thesubsequent light output from the pixel of a higher intensity. Utilizinga gray-scale LCD array, the intensity of a section of the screen 408 canbe increased such that, if the section is composed of pixels constructedto generate PWs, the intensity of the PW can be set to the sufficientlevel so as to support the particular emission of the subject due toexposure to the PW. Similarly, GI output can be controlled to allow userselected dimming.

In addition to the LCD array 410 used in combination with the screen408, the driver 412 may operate as a dimming mechanism to brighten ordim the lighting array 402, allowing further control of the intensity ofboth the GI light and the PW light. Some or all of the components of thelighting devices 200, 300, 400, such as dimming mechanisms, shutters,LCD arrays, and pixelated screens, can be combined into a lightingdevice for generating light for general illumination of a space andgenerating light of a particular wavelength at a sufficient intensityand duration reasonably expected to produce a particular emission from asubject different from an emission produced by exposure of the subjectto GI light. The lighting devices disclosed herein integrate both a GIlight source and a PW light source into a single lighting device, andare constructed such that the intended benefit of the PW light can besupported through control of the intensity, duration, and/orcharacteristics of the PW light.

Other lighting device arrangements permitting selective excitation ofdifferent types of fluorescent materials may be used to generate both GIlighting and PW lighting from one integrated lighting device. A fewexamples of such other arrangements may be found in U.S. Pat. No.8,330,373, the full patent disclosure of which is incorporated entirelyherein by reference.

The lighting devices of the machine vision systems disclosed may also beconfigured to produce a flashing pattern of a subject with the PW lightas an additional method for producing particular emissions from asubject in a space. Referring back to FIGS. 1-4, the microcontroller 22,the microcontroller 129, the controllers 214 and 314, PW drivers 212 and312, and/or GI drivers 208 and 310 may be configured to produce theabove described flashing patterns. Microcontroller 22 can be programmedto power drivers 21 a and/or 21 b to alternate between power ON and OFFstates so as to produce a flashing pattern. Similarly, microcontroller129 can be programmed to power the drivers 121, 123, 125, and/or 127 toalternate between power ON and OFF states so as to produce a flashingpattern. Additionally, since the lighting device 200 is capable ofproducing particular wavelengths of PW light at sufficient intensitiesand for sufficient durations to produce the aforementioned particularemissions utilizing dimming mechanisms, the PW drivers 212 canconfigured cycle through periodic intensity changes to regulate afrequency at which the PW light is dimmed, thereby producing flashingpatterns of PW light that is output. Similarly, the shutters 316 a and316 b of lighting device 300 can be configured to open and close atparticular frequencies to produce flashing patterns of PW light. As anexample, lighting systems 200 and 300 can be configured to produceflashing patterns to cause subjects in the room to appear to flash.

Flashing patterns can also be produced with the lighting systemsdescribed with respect to FIG. 5. Different combinations of wavelengthsproduced by the fluorescent phosphor materials in the screen 408 can beused to produce the same color point, such as the color point desiredfor general illumination of the space. The screen 408 can bemanufactured such that the screen 408 includes a pixel for eachwavelength in the spectrum. As such, the LCDs 410 may be controlled viathe controller 414 to either slowly or rapidly change the combination ofwavelengths used for general illumination while keeping the color pointof the general illumination light the same. By changing, back and forthover a period of time, the combination of wavelengths (e.g., thespectra) while keeping the color point of the general illumination thesame, passive subjects in the space with optical characteristicsresponsive to the changing spectra will flash while the space remainsunder general illumination. Thus, the PW generated is the wavelength atwhich the passive subject in the room flashes under such changes. Theslow or rapid change causes the PW to change in intensity, and thesubject(s) responsive to the changing intensity of the PW appear toflash as the intensity changes.

This flashing pattern may be done with any wavelength of light that canbe produced by the fluorescent phosphor materials. For example, signsmay be placed in the space that flash when exposed to ultraviolet light,or other subjects such as ink pens will flash in response to changingintensities of particular wavelengths of visible light based on thesubjects optical properties. The machines disclosed for use in machinevision applications can be configured to detect the flashing subjectsfor detecting a characteristic of the subject for an operation of themachine. For example, a machine can be configured to display the subjectflashing to a user of a display. In another example, a machine uses afilter that is calibrated to the flashing frequency of the PW lightoutput and/or the flashing frequency of the particular emissions fromthe subject to detect the subject.

Referring generally to FIGS. 6A-8C, further examples of systems formachine vision utilizing the disclosed machines and lighting systems areillustrated. The illustrated systems include lighting devices, spaces,machines, image capture devices, machine vision processing systems,particular emissions from subjects, and emissions from subjects producedby exposure to GI light. Each of the devices, machines, spaces, andemissions are similar to those described earlier, and the illustratedsystems of FIGS. 6A-8C can incorporate any number of variations andcombinations of the systems disclosed above.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an example of a system for producing aparticular emission in the visible spectrum from a subject differentfrom an emission produced by exposure of the subject to GI light. AtFIG. 6A, the system 600 includes a lighting device 602, a space 604 anda subject in the space 606. The lighting device is outputting only GIlight 608. For illustrative purposes, it is shown that the subject 606appears visibly darker (e.g., does not emit much visible light) due toexposure to the GI light 608. At FIG. 6B, the lighting device 602 isoutputting both GI light 608 and PW light 610. The PW light 610 is of asufficient intensity and/or other parameter to produce a particularemission from the subject 606 different from the emission produced byexposure of the subject 606 to the GI light 608 as was illustrated inFIG. 6A. For illustration purposes, the subject 606 is shown to producea gray particular emission due to exposure of the PW light 610. In theexample of system 600, the particular emission of the subject 606 isvisible and can be detected without the use of a tuned capturing device.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate an example of a machine vision system forproducing a particular emission from a subject different from anemission produced by exposure of the subject to GI light that is outsidethe visible spectra and is detectable by an image capture device of amachine for use in machine vision. At FIG. 7A, the system 700 includes alighting device 702, a space 704 and a subject in the space 706. Thelighting device is outputting only GI light 708. For illustrativepurposes, it is shown that the subject 706 appears visibly darker (e.g.does not emit much visible light) due to exposure to the GI light 708.At FIG. 7B, the lighting device 702 is outputting both GI light 708 andPW light 710. The PW light 710 is of a sufficient intensity and/or otherparameter to produce a particular emission from the subject 706different from the emission produced by exposure of the subject 706 tothe GI light 708. However, in the example illustrated at FIG. 7B, the PWlight 710 produces a particular emission of the subject 706 that is notin the visible spectra. As shown, the visual appearance of the subject706 is not altered by the output of the PW light 710. At FIG. 7C, animage capture device 712 in a machine for machine vision is shownviewing the space 704. The image capture device 712 can be configured todetect the particular emission of the subject 706, such that a machinevision processing system or other machine vision device integrating theimage capture device 712 can detect a characteristic of the subject 706.Although the subject 706 is illustrated as gray in color, the imagecapture device 712 may be configured to represent the subject 706 or theparticular emission of the subject 706 as any number of colors or otherrepresentations. In further examples, the visual appearance of subject706 may be altered by exposure to the particular wavelength 710, but thealtered visual appearance may not be the particular emission producedcorresponding to the characteristic of the subject 706. For example,exposure to the PW light 710 cause the subject 706 to both visually emita color different than emitted by exposure to GI light 708, and emitlight of a wavelength outside the visible spectrum. The emission outsidethe visible spectrum can be the particular emission reasonably expectedto be produced by the PW light 710, and the image capture device 712 canbe configured to only detect the particular emission.

Another example of a machine vision system is illustrated at FIGS.8A-8C. The system 800 includes a lighting device 802, a space 804, and agrid pattern 806 as a subject in the space 804. The grid pattern 806 canbe a movement guidance pattern for a machine to detect the location ofthe grid 806 and operate the movement of the machine through the space804 based on the detected location of the grid pattern 806. In FIG. 8A,the lighting device 802 is outputting GI light 808 only. The grid 806 isvisible under exposure to GI light 808. In FIG. 8B, the lighting device802 is outputting both GI light 808 and PW light 810. The grid 806 maybe composed of a material (e.g., paint) of which the optical propertiesare known, such that, upon exposure to either PW light 810 or both GIlight 808 and PW light 810, a particular emission from the grid 806 isproduced such that the grid 806 appears of a visibly similar color asthe rest of the space 804 (e.g., a created metamer for human vision). AtFIG. 8C, an image capture device 812 of a machine is configured todetect and/or filter the particular emission of the grid 806 produced byexposure to the PW light (or combination of GI light 808 and PW light810) at FIG. 8B. The image capture device 812 may be configured to bothdetect the particular emission of the grid 806 and filter the particularemission of the grid 806 such that the characteristic of the grid 806(e.g., the grid itself or the pattern of the grid), is visible in thecaptured image. The captured image may be received by a machine visionprocessing system (not shown), which may also or alternatively detectthe particular emission and/or filter the particular emission such thatthe characteristic of the grid 806 can be processed for movement of themachine through the space 804.

It will be understood that the terms and expressions used herein havethe ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions withrespect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and studyexcept where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be usedsolely to distinguish one entity or action from another withoutnecessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or orderbetween such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,”“includes,” “including,” or any other variation thereof, are intended tocover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article,or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include onlythose elements but may include other elements not expressly listed orinherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An elementproceeded by “a” or “an” does not, without further constraints, precludethe existence of additional identical elements in the process, method,article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

Unless otherwise stated, any and all measurements, values, ratings,positions, magnitudes, sizes, and other specifications that are setforth in this specification, including in the claims that follow, areapproximate, not exact. They are intended to have a reasonable rangethat is consistent with the functions to which they relate and with whatis customary in the art to which they pertain.

While the foregoing has described what are considered to be the bestmode and/or other examples, it is understood that various modificationsmay be made therein and that the subject matter disclosed herein may beimplemented in various forms and examples, and that they may be appliedin numerous applications, only some of which have been described herein.It is intended by the following claims to claim any and allmodifications and variations that fall within the true scope of thepresent concepts.

1-18. (canceled)
 19. A system, comprising: (I) a machine comprising: (a)an image capture device; and (b) a machine vision processing system, themachine vision processing system being configured to detect acharacteristic of a subject in a space responsive to input from theimage capture device for an operation of the machine at least in partbased on the detection of the characteristic of the subject; (II) apixelated screen; and (III) a light source configured to project lighttoward the pixelated screen; wherein: a first set of pixels in thepixelated screen is adapted, upon receiving the projected light from thelight source, to generate and output light for illumination of a space;a second set of pixels in the pixelated screen is adapted, uponreceiving the projected light from the light source, to generate andoutput, independent from the light for illumination, light of aparticular wavelength to support the detection of the characteristic ofthe subject via the machine vision processing system; and the light ofthe particular wavelength is output at a sufficient intensity reasonablyexpected to produce a particular emission from a subject in the spacedetectable via the image capture device different from an emissionproduced by exposure of the subject to the light for illumination of thespace.
 20. The system of claim 19, further comprising an array ofshutters positioned between the light source and the pixelated screenconfigured to selectively permit the projected light to pass to thepixelated screen.
 21. The system of claim 20, wherein the array ofshutters comprises gray-scale liquid crystal shutters.
 22. The system ofclaim 19, further comprising a controller configured to control thefirst light source and to control of the second light source independentfrom the control of the first light source.
 23. The system of claim 19,further comprising: at least one shutter coupled to a light output ofthe second source; and a controller coupled to the at least one shutter,the controller being configured to selectively permit light generatedfrom the second light source to be output through the at least oneshutter.
 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one shutter isa liquid crystal shutter, a mechanical shutter, or amicroelectromechanical shutter.
 25. The system of claim 19, wherein themachine vision processing system is configured to filter the particularemission from the subject such that the operation of the machine is atleast in part based on the emission produced by exposure of the subjectto the light of the particular wavelength.
 26. The system of claim 19,wherein the operation of the machine comprises movement of the machinethroughout the space.
 27. The system of claim 26, wherein: the machinevision processing system is further configured to detect a location of amovement grid pattern as the characteristic of the subject, and theoperation of the machine comprises movement of the machine throughoutthe space based at least in part based on the detected location of themovement grid pattern.
 28. The system of claim 19, wherein: the lightfor illumination of the space is in the visible spectrum, and theparticular wavelength is such that the particular emission from thesubject is outside the visible spectrum.
 29. The system of claim 19,wherein the particular wavelength output from the lighting device is awavelength reasonably expected to produce the particular emission fromof at least one of a group consisting of: blood, dust, paint, andcontaminant, as the subject.
 30. The system of claim 19, wherein themachine vision processing system is configured to detect thecharacteristic of the subject at least in part based on a contrastdifference between the particular emission from the subject and theemission produced by exposure of the subject to the light forillumination.
 31. The system of claim 19, wherein the light of theparticular wavelength is outputted at a sufficient intensity, for asufficient duration, and of a particular parameter to produce theparticular emission from the subject in a flashing pattern.
 32. Thesystem of claim 19, wherein the light for illumination generated by thefirst light source and the light of the particular wavelength generatedby the second light source are generated simultaneously.
 33. The systemof claim 19, further comprising a controller providing control of thesecond light source independent from control of the first light source.34. A method, comprising: generating, from a first light sourceintegrated into a lighting device, light for illumination of a space;generating, from a second light source integrated into the lightingdevice and independently from the generating of light for illuminationof the space, light of a particular wavelength to support detection of acharacteristic of a subject via a machine vision processing system of amachine; outputting the light for illumination of the space; outputtingthe light of the particular wavelength at a sufficient intensityreasonably expected to produce a particular emission from a subject inthe space detectable via an image capture device in a machine differentfrom an emission produced by exposure of the subject to the light forillumination; receiving, in the machine vision processing system of themachine, input from the image capture device, the input comprising animage of the particular emission from the subject detected by the imagecapture device; detecting, via the machine vision processing system, thecharacteristic of the subject in the space from the image data of thereceived input; and controlling operation of the machine at least inpart based on the detected characteristic of the subject.
 35. The methodof claim 34, further comprising: filtering, with the machine visionprocessing system, the particular emission from the subject; and whereinthe controlling step comprises controlling operation of the machine atleast in part based on the emission produced by exposure of the subjectto the light for illumination.
 36. The method of claim 34, wherein thestep of controlling operation of the machine comprises guiding movementof the machine through the space at least in part based on the detectedcharacteristic of the subject in the space.